Traditional Grip help.
- Thread starter Tic-Tac-Joe
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Funkifized
New member
the only good thing i can see about traditional, control wise, is that its far easier to adjust the angle of your stick, thereby getting different sounds from your stick. the only stick that i've noticed that actually has a big difference in sound due to the angle is the tear drop tip sticks, e.g. akira jimbo signatures.
other than that, it's just a really awkward grip used a loooong time ago for people with a snare drum that had a really awkward lopsided position.
even virgil donati highly discourages his students to take up traditional grip even though he is a master himself (comparable to DCI champs IMO). he's well aware that it doesn't serve any purpose other than to combat weird snare angles. he's sticking with it because he's been using it since he was 3; no point changing now. different muscles were developed. it's also a USP for him, as a drummer... i guess.
when i was in secondary school, my section went nuts over jeff queen and drumline the movie and we learnt all the monkey tricks as well. why? coz it just looks friggin cool XD
i think i cannot do any of the stick toss tricks already. damn sad. you lose it if you don't use it.
other than that, it's just a really awkward grip used a loooong time ago for people with a snare drum that had a really awkward lopsided position.
even virgil donati highly discourages his students to take up traditional grip even though he is a master himself (comparable to DCI champs IMO). he's well aware that it doesn't serve any purpose other than to combat weird snare angles. he's sticking with it because he's been using it since he was 3; no point changing now. different muscles were developed. it's also a USP for him, as a drummer... i guess.
when i was in secondary school, my section went nuts over jeff queen and drumline the movie and we learnt all the monkey tricks as well. why? coz it just looks friggin cool XD
i think i cannot do any of the stick toss tricks already. damn sad. you lose it if you don't use it.
blissuicide
New member
blurred said:
It does to me and its easier to control but tats all wif regards to my preferences. One thing is tat its much more subtle and controllable and tats how ghost notes are suppose to be played. But then again, it might vary from individual to individual.
I feel that whether you use traditional or match is just a matter of personal preference. A lot of people had mentioned that match is for power and traditional is for finese. But I feel that you can achieve both power and finese by using either grip. Also, traditional is for jazz and match is for other types of music. This is all not true. Check out the following drummers:
Jazz
Tama Goh: Fantastic jazz drummer, uses traditional even when he plays pop gigs
Tan Boon Gee: Playing almost everywhere, uses match grip when playing traditional jazz
Bill Stewart: Very musical jazz drummer in modern times, using match grip. Check him out at drummerworld.com
Rock/ Fusion
Virgil Donati: Drumming extraordinaire, uses traditional grip
These are just some drummers who choose to use what works for them and excel in it. Don't be limited by rules!
Cheers....
Jazz
Tama Goh: Fantastic jazz drummer, uses traditional even when he plays pop gigs
Tan Boon Gee: Playing almost everywhere, uses match grip when playing traditional jazz
Bill Stewart: Very musical jazz drummer in modern times, using match grip. Check him out at drummerworld.com
Rock/ Fusion
Virgil Donati: Drumming extraordinaire, uses traditional grip
These are just some drummers who choose to use what works for them and excel in it. Don't be limited by rules!
Cheers....
well hey daltonism dun just listen to funkified, go experiment urself and find wat works for u. i switch between grips alot of the times. when i play the shuffle, if i want it tight and staccato sounding i use a match when i want it alittle looser i use a trad. and when playing new orleans second liine or dance hall kinda stuff it feels wrong to use match. i think it harkens back to my military band days, but anyway the point is try it out and see for ur self.
blisssuicide- yah man it really does differ, ur right in that control is slightly easier but it just wat we're use to.
blisssuicide- yah man it really does differ, ur right in that control is slightly easier but it just wat we're use to.
drummar-buah
New member
my left hand sucks with matched grip too! haha cuz after using trad grip. i neglected my matched. but i find that it is abit hard to play with LOTS of power using trad, (cuz i'm playing in a metal band, it's pretty crucial i suppose). so i have to switch back to balance out my trad and my matched.
drummar-buah
New member
BebopIggy : yup i'm working on it =) thanx
drummar-buah
New member
i'll try, but i don't really take note though :lol:BebopIggy said:
MusicPebbles
New member
WOW din noe haha
Anatomyofadrumsolo
New member
Yo fellow drum enthusiasts.
Ive been playing drums for 8 years now. I play with traditional grip right from the start. And the thing is, I cant play well with matched grip, cant do fast rolls or chops etc..
However, I have this advice to ALL drummers. Whether you play matched or traditional or you wanna switch, it all takes some getting used to. So just keep practising. Last time i use to just sit in front of the tv and play doubles and paradiddles on my pad, while watching shows.. haha..
Ive been playing drums for 8 years now. I play with traditional grip right from the start. And the thing is, I cant play well with matched grip, cant do fast rolls or chops etc..
However, I have this advice to ALL drummers. Whether you play matched or traditional or you wanna switch, it all takes some getting used to. So just keep practising. Last time i use to just sit in front of the tv and play doubles and paradiddles on my pad, while watching shows.. haha..
I have watched Dave Weckl's "Back to basics". Anyone seen it? Kinda got curious, and started practicing traditional grip with my left hand. I've been playing matched for like almost 4 years now, but my hands are still kinda unmatched, right way stronger than left (started very late on rudiments, long story). Anyways, remember the exercise Dave says to build finger power for traditional grip players? The one you play palm down and exploit bounce with fingers and then attempt to turn it over. I don't know how great that exercise is, but I discovered I completely can't sustain the bounce for like 3seconds with my left hand. I switch and try with my right, and ta-da, I can do it for minutes if I like. Any advice how I can break down this chop a little more? 'coz it's been like a week, and no progress on the left hand. hah
btw, my wrist action has improved tremendously for left hand traditional grip. it's just the fingers which at the moment seem impossible to bring into play with traditional grip
btw, my wrist action has improved tremendously for left hand traditional grip. it's just the fingers which at the moment seem impossible to bring into play with traditional grip
yayeyiyoyu
New member
IMO, there's no better or worse when it comes to grip. It's all about what the individual likes(even if it's just to look cool) and feels comfortable with.
Traditional grip was created to suit the ergonomics(is that the word?) of the old marching snares. So technically, you can play the drums using any grip, as long as you don't hurt yourself. You just have to practice. If the old marching snares tilted at a different angle, or were higher up, the "traditional" grip they invented would not be the "traditional" grip we know of now.
To answer to TS's question/problem, just practice very slowly, and take your time. It's about control and accuracy, not speed. Practice doubles/singles at a low tempo(semiquavers at 40bpm) and make sure you are relaxed and get the correct technique down cleanly.
Also, watch Dave Weckl's videos on youtube on hand technique(It's called A natural evolution-developing technique or something like that. There are 3 parts). They're really helpful.
Traditional grip was created to suit the ergonomics(is that the word?) of the old marching snares. So technically, you can play the drums using any grip, as long as you don't hurt yourself. You just have to practice. If the old marching snares tilted at a different angle, or were higher up, the "traditional" grip they invented would not be the "traditional" grip we know of now.
To answer to TS's question/problem, just practice very slowly, and take your time. It's about control and accuracy, not speed. Practice doubles/singles at a low tempo(semiquavers at 40bpm) and make sure you are relaxed and get the correct technique down cleanly.
Also, watch Dave Weckl's videos on youtube on hand technique(It's called A natural evolution-developing technique or something like that. There are 3 parts). They're really helpful.
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